Creative and Life Writing (Taught)

The MFA Creative and Life Writing is for committed writers who are interested in critically examining their own writing and exploring the possibilities of storytelling. Develop your writing skills within a challenging, flexible and advanced scheme of study, invigorated by current research.

• You may be writing regularly; you may be returning to it after concentrating on your career. Whatever your background, if you're serious about your writing, this postgraduate course can help you to develop your practice.

• Our students bring with them a lively range of interests, cultures and experiences. We welcome students of any age who share the drive to take their writing seriously.

• You’ll have the chance to experiment with different forms – poetry, the novel, short story and life writing – and to specialise in one of those areas, and you will receive expert guidance in each field. Read work by our students.

• The MFA programme builds on the MA Creative and Life Writing pathway by requiring you to gain knowledge of the professional context of the publishing industry, and by asking you to produce a book length piece of creative work.

• We host weekly readings and discussions organised by our Writers Centre, together with occasional visits from editors, literary agents and organisers of literary projects. Recent visitors include Booker Prize winner and creative writing alumni Bernardine Evaristo and acclaimed novelist and non-fiction writer Olivia Laing.

• Some seminars will be taken by visiting writers who will talk about their work, introduce you to different theories of creative writing and engage you in discussion about their writing. Recent visitors have included Ali Smith, Caryl Phillips, Claire Keegan and Daljit Nagra.